Years ago, Spider-Man was approached by the Fantastic Four to partake in a mission into the Macroverse. What is important to point out is that Spidey was not wearing his mask while there, so his identity was apparently not a secret at that point in time. While in the Macroverse, Spidey and the others became aware of a battle between some of its inhabitants. Spidey immediately wanted to get involved, to try and save the man and woman that were under attack, but Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, objected to him interfering because of the "Uatu Protocols", a series of guidelines that the Fantastic Four abide by, which is essentially the first rule of cosmic exploration: "watch, but don’t interfere". Despite the so-called rules, Spidey cannot stand by and just watch people possibly getting killed. He thus decides to get involved and leaps away toward the scene of the battle. Agreeing with Spidey, the Human Torch and The Thing are right behind him. Outvoted, Reed and Sue resolve to joining the others.
In the present, Spider-Man has the Looter webbed up to a wall, after he caught him committing an unspecified robbery. The Looter tells Spidey that with Norman Osborn, the Iron Patriot, at the head of the greatest security force in the world, there is no way he's going to see the inside of a prison cell anytime soon. As Looter has to do is tell the Powers-that-be that he – Spider-Man – framed him; they'll most likely believe him than they will Spidey. The wall-crawler is speechless at first but his next move is totally unexpected – he gives the Looter a massive "atomic wedgie" and swings off into the night.
Seconds later, he is accosted by none other than the Fantastic Four who tell him they once again need his help in the Macroverse. Apparently, they received a distress signal of sorts, asking for both them and Spidey. Spidey is intrigued by this revelation, seeing as the last time they were in the Macroverse, the inhabitants didn’t have so much as clothing on their backs. But Spidey has work to do and bills to pay, so going away on such short notice is probably not a good idea. Reed explains that they are willing to compensate him for his time and hands him a check, made out to "cash", since Reed knows how Spidey feels about protecting his true identity even from them. Spider-Man thanks Reed for this, telling him that it means a lot to him.
Later, Peter calls Aunt May to tell her that he's going to be out of town for a few days and to not worry. Peter asks how things are going down at the shelter. Aunt May indicates that things are very busy and says that she has to go as it seems she is needed. As a matter of fact, a gentlemen named Blake Tower, the public advocate and current acting mayor of New York City, is there to meet with Martin Li, director of the FEAST homeless shelter(s). Aunt May points Tower in direction of Li, who is busy serving food to the less fortunate. Tower cuts to the chase and explains that they would like Li to run for mayor of New York City. Li, his eyes darkening (Mr. Negative emerging perhaps), responds that the idea certainly has possibilities.
Next, Spidey stops by his apartment to pick up a few things for the trip to the Macroverse. As he swings away from his apartment, he has no idea that his best friend, Harry Osborn has fallen off the wagon and is trying to reach him. In Brooklyn, at the home of Bill Hollister, Carlie Cooper has made lunch for her "adopted" father but he's not really hungry. The phone rings so Carlie answers. It's Harry Osborn and he tells her what he just did – i.e. he started drinking again after receiving the ring he gave to Lily Hollister when he asked her to marry him. Carlie is busy with others things, but tells Harry she'll be right over.
Spidey arrives at the Baxter Building, home of the Fantastic Four. Sue, Reed, Ben and Johnny are loading the last of the required equipment into the new ship that'll take them to the Macroverse. While Spidey and Johnny talk with Ben and Reed, Sue leaves instructions for the kid's sitters. When asked when they are expected to be back, Sue explains that time runs differently in the Macroverse. The last time they were there, they lost approximately two days so if that holds, they should be back in about a week. After Reed and Spidey trade some scientific mumbo-jumbo, they all climb aboard the ship and they take off toward the Macroverse.
A short time later, they land in the Macroverse. Strangely, the whole place appears deserted. Even more strange is the fact that the last time they were in the Macroverse, its' inhabitants lived in huts; now, there are in the middle of a large city with hundreds of buildings. Reed reveals that his computer is telling him that they are back in the Land of Kort, where they were last time; however, the same civilization has now approached a pre-industrial society. Pointing to some buildings and the ground below him, Spidey wonders what happened, as there are many visible damages from explosions. In fact, he thinks it looks like a war zone, which makes sense that the inhabitants would have put out a call for help. The Human Torch observes that the whole place is like a ghost town, with not a single soul in sight. Reed concurs and adds that he doesn't see any technology that could have sent a signal to Earth, requesting their help. They continue scouring about when Spidey tells them he found the source of the distress calls. When they join him, they are shocked to see him stand atop a large statue of himself surrounded by the Fantastic Four; his face is notably eroded, concealing his identity. Spidey reveals that he thinks the distress call was in fact people's prayers.
Just then, Spidey and the others are surrounded by the Land of Kort's inhabitants, who are in a celebratory mood for their "Gods" have returned. While Sue tries to convince the crowd that they are not gods, the Human Torch notices that something is off with the statue of Spidey. Reed also notices something about all the statues, but it is different than what Johnny has noticed. Johnny points out that the Spidey's statue is unmasked, which means the people of the Macroverse have seen him without his mask; therefore, they too should remember his identity. He recalls teaming up with Spidey a couple of years back to rescue a princess and bring her home and the whole time he was mask-free. As much as he tries remembering Spidey’s true face, Johnny cannot remember it, no matter how hard he tries. Spidey asks Johnny to just drop the issue, but Johnny doesn't. Seeing as Spidey is not surprised that he doesn't know, Johnny concludes that Spidey must have done something to him, to them, to make them forget his secret identity. Before the argument can escalate any further, Reed comes in between them and tells them that they have to get back to the ship immediately.
In the crowd, an armored man by the name of Patronus asks the others why they are all out in the open like that. Their enemies, the Dregans, will undoubtedly attack if they see such a tempting target. A man standing nearby answers, telling him that their Gods have returned to protect them. Patronus is unenthusiastic about their presence, claiming that they are no Gods, but the cause of their sorrows. All of a sudden, the creatures known as Dregans arrive on the scene. Riding on the backs of giant lizards, the Dregans are firing senselessly at everything and everyone. Immediately, Sue and Ben start yelling at the populace to take cover. Reed calls to the others to join him right away, as he has pressing news to relate to them. Spidey, Sue, Ben and Johnny join Reed under one of Sue’s force fields. Reed begins by telling them he's miscalculated the time differential between their world and the Macroverse. He then reiterates that the last time they were there, they lost two days when they returned home. Reed assumed the relationship was a simple linear progression but he was wrong. When Spidey asks how wrong he was, Reed starts to answer but is interrupted by Johnny who wants to know why Spidey's statue is so conveniently worn down so that his face is not recognizable. Spidey tells Johnny to "let it go" and goes on asking Reed how much time they are talking about. Before Reed can answer, Johnny puts his hands on Spidey's shoulders and tells Spidey that he needs to know what he used to know – he wants to know who Spidey really is. Spidey pushes Johnny back, telling him that he is not going down that road again: "No one knows. That's how it has to be! No exceptions! And if that means we’re not friends? Fine!" Johnny can't believe Spidey just pushed him. He calls out to Spidey, who is walking away, to come back, as they are not done. Spidey replies that they are. Ticked off, Johnny fires a fire bolt at the back of Spidey's head. Spidey's mask catches on fire and he's forced to pull it off! Johnny is totally shocked when he sees Spidey's face; the reader is not privy to what Johnny sees, so we have to wait for the following issue to find out.
To be continued.
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